Wedding advice I wish I was given

While I don’t regret having the amazing wedding we had, there’s definitely a few things I would do differently if we could go back in time and do it all over again. Below you’re going to find some of the things I’m glad we did, and of course the all important ‘regrets’ - because we don’t often get a second round at this wedding gig!

I’m glad we/I …

Focused on unique details of the day, stressing the importance of having family and friends around us and acknowledging Nick’s grandparents 60th wedding anniversary by having them cut the cake with us.

Wrote our own vows. This was a no brainer to us. If you want to write your own, but don’t know where to start I’d recommend picking up a copy of Notes from the Heart here.

Both spoke at the reception. It’s not ‘traditional’ for the bride to speak but how many opportunities do you get to make a point of thanking the people closest to you for everything they do for you?

Chose not to have children at our wedding (controversial I know) - Everyone got to let their hair down!

Chose the photographer and videographer who’s styles we loved and who we gelled with too!

Stuck with a classic hair and makeup look that will never date

Invested in dance lessons for our first dance. Not only was it important to me having been a dancer in my early years, it was also a great way to take time out and spend with each other - like a mini date night in the lead up to our wedding.

Chose our DIY projects wisely. DIY can easily cost more in time, effort and materials so you need to really think about if it’s going to be cheaper in the long run as opposed to hiring or buying something ready made. Got a grand idea? Really think if it will matter if you don’t have it at the end of the day. I’m most proud of our seating plan which you can check out here.

Did our day, our way. It helps being stubborn and naturally there were a few discussions along the way but sticking to our guns ensured we got the day we envisaged.

I wish we/I …

Chose our guest list and bridal party more wisely. Check out this post on how to go about doing this and don’t be afraid to be ruthless! Keeping the numbers down has a huge impact on your food and drink, and in our case venue and transport costs.

Found a cheaper venue. To us, our venue definitely provided the most amazing setting and it ticked all the boxes but it hurt our wallet big time and that could have been better put to use on something else life threw at us! If I had the knowledge back then that I do now we would have stayed local and had our day somewhere in Canterbury and my gosh there are some incredible new venues popping up at the moment as well as the household names being given refreshes!

Got a wedding coordinator. I stressed myself out so much I really don’t think I made the most of the lead up to the wedding, especially that week before hand! I was so caught up in giving everyone this amazing surprise party I actually lost sight of the fact it was supposed to be about Nick and I. If you are feeling any amount of stress or anxiety about setting up or the wedding lead up, absolutely look into a coordinator for the day. It’s money well spent!

If there’s been anything to take from this, if we were to have our time again it would most definitely be a local, low key and much more intimate affair with our nearest and dearest. I hope this has been a little help for you and allows you to plan your day, your way!

Until next,